Beleaguered Manchester United superstar Marcus Rashford dropped a bombshell late on Tuesday when he claimed that he is ready for a new challenge away from Old Trafford.
In the interview given to reputed journalist Henry Winter, the Mancunian explained how the recent Manchester derby dropping episode affected him as well as his suitability to Ruben Amorim’s system.
The Portuguese took the bold call to drop two of his most potent attackers — the Englishman and Alejandro Garnacho for the trip to the Etihad Stadium but his team still triumphed while playing a dominant brand of football.
The ex-Sporting Lisbon boss wanted to try the England international up front, a position he is not the most comfortable in, often explaining in public that he prefers the left flank.
Rashford wants to leave
However, the new head coach’s system does not use traditional wingers and his demand for hard work out of possession is not something that naturally suits the United superstar.
His below-par on-field performances and off-field controversies seem to suggest that a separation is the best outcome for both parties with Winter referring to La Liga as a potential destination.
Long-term admirers Barcelona have been linked with a move for the 27-year-old but as per SPORT, their economic situation coupled with Rashford’s humongous wages makes an approach highly unlikely.
The United No 10 currently earns £375,000 per week (as per capology), something far beyond the Catalan giants’ reach.
Rashford has to agree to take a huge hit on his earnings and the La Liga side has to sell a few stars in order to make room for the Englishman in their wage bracket for a move to work out. Currently, the Camp Nou outfit have no such plans.
“Marcus Rashford is already making waves in the market. Manchester United are determined to let him go this summer to carry out a real revolution in their squad and his transfer fee could be around 40 million euros, a real bargain given his performance and age.
Barca cannot afford him
“At this time, Barça would not be a viable option to undertake the operation given their situation with the salary cap. Either the player lowers his salary significantly or Barça would have to make a sale to find space and they are not considering it.
“Rashford is a player who has always been of interest to the Blaugrana club and a few years ago they bid for him when he was about to leave his contract. At that time, United put pressure on him and offered him a million-dollar salary to keep him, but now the divorce has been consummated.”
Not many clubs can afford to pay a substantial fee while also paying Rashford’s wages and realistically, Saudi Arabia could be an option but the player has no interest in moving to the Middle East at this stage of his career.
United will be entitled to cough up a substantial payoff should the forward have to leave and join a club where he gets a lower wage packet. A lot for INEOS to ponder as the winter window approaches.
Feature image Michael Regan via Getty Images
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Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
